Whale that had four legs ...and hooves

FOSSILS of an ancient whale that had four limbs, hooves and an otter-like tail have been unearthed in Peru.

Scientists say the 13ft missing link – which lived in both the sea and on land 43 million years ago – is a major discovery.

Olivier Lambert, of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, helped discover the creature called Peregocetus pacificus. Previous studies show that whales evolved in Pakistan and India from hoofed, landdwelling mammals distantly related to hippos and about the size of medium-sized dogs.

It took millions of years for them to spread around the world. The latest research was published in the journal Current Biology.